Guest Column

By Randy Jurado Ertll

Special to HispanicVista.com

 

Urban riots are as predictable as the next major earthquake.  No one knows when it will happen, but it will happen sooner or later.

 

We do not like to think about the actual possibility of another major riot in Los Angeles.  The 1965 Watts Riots and the 1992 L.A. Riots have already been forgotten by many people whether they were present or not. 

 

The author, James Baldwin, eloquently wrote about urban riots in some of his books and he described the symptoms that contributed to riots.  Poverty, overcrowded housing, police abuse, and racism to name a few.  That was America when it was seen through the lens of the “Black & White” paradigm of previous decades.

 

Now, our major urban cities have become more ethnically diverse and include immigrants from all over the world, especially from Latin America and Asia.  Los Angeles is no exception and it actually serves as a model whether another major riot can be prevented.

 

Our new Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa must address the root causes of social inequities.  He is well aware that the history of Los Angeles includes dark episodes of discrimination against immigrants, minorities, and poor people.

 

Mayor Tom Bradley was an inspirational and effective leader but he himself, along with his administration, was not able to prevent the 1992 L.A. Riots.  Tensions boiled over when the Rodney King was beaten and then the police officers were acquitted.

 

We must all work together and discuss the root causes of urban riots.  We should also search and propose solutions that will address social and economic disparities. For example, students at the high school level can be required to take a class on “multiculturalism” to learn about others student’s history, culture, and politics. 

 

The fights among minority students at our public schools must be further examined and the School Board of Education and school Principals must take other proactive measures in helping to prevent such fights on campus. 

 

More security and law enforcement presence does help but parent participation is key.   

 

Non-profit organizations and community leaders must become involved and help to develop a real understanding of cultures and ethnic tolerance among these students.  Parents and teachers must also play a more active role in teaching racial tolerance to their children and that they must respect other cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities.

 

Jefferson High School, Taft High School, Manual Arts High School, and many other schools are currently confronting “ethnic tensions” among its student populations.  Public schools usually serve as the “pulse” of what is going on in our communities and many times serve as indicators of what will occur in our society.

 

We cannot hide the fact that racial tensions continue to exist in Los Angeles.  In addition, socio-economic class disparities contribute to many other problems.  For example, poor people who do not have adequate levels of academic preparation do have a more difficult time in finding jobs that allow them to rent or buy homes in safer neighborhoods.  The costs of renting or buying homes are generally unaffordable for people who barely make minimum wage. 

 

Also, parent participation in poor neighborhoods is lower in comparison to parents who live in middle and upper class areas.  Many poor parents are too busy trying to make ends meet and do not even have the time to attend Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) meetings.  Some exceptions do exist where poor neighborhoods do have high parent participation.   PTAs and student clubs can serve as vehicles of diversity where parents and students can address such issues violence and gang activity on school campuses.

 

Principals, teachers, and parents can come up with creative ideas on how to improve communication in the community and school campuses.  For example, the Board of Education can establish academic curriculum that would analyze the history and causes of the Watts Riots and the L.A. Riots.  Students can be assigned homework or research projects where they have to come up with proposals that would help revitalize neighborhoods.  Essay contests can be implemented where students can explore what they are personally doing and what steps should be taken to help prevent a future riot.

 

These are simple ideas but may actually have an impact in the mindset of many students who many times are not exposed to other cultures and actually believe in negative stereotypes of other ethnic groups and the White community.

 

We must all pitch in to improve Los Angeles and businesses, non-profits, and other entities must continue to create real job opportunities for everyone, especially for our youth who need to stay busy through summer jobs or part time jobs. 

 

We cannot prevent earthquakes but we can prevent future riots.  Therefore, let’s work together to prevent another riot in L.A. 

 

We must believe in ourselves and create hope and opportunities for others, especially our children.

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Randy Jurado Ertll, former Congressional staff member in Washington D.C. who grew up in South Central Los Angeles – Contact at: randyertll@yahoo.com.

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